Combined seat and desk



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,211

S. W; CQNWELL COMBINED SEAT'AND DESK Filed Feb. 21, 1924 INVENTOR J Mam we,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. s, 1926.

UNITED STATES.

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Application filed February 21, 1924. Serial No. 894,805.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON W. GONWELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Mineral Wells, in the county of Palo Pinto I and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Seats and Desks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in I combined seats desks and consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a combined seat and desk in whichboth the 1 seat and the desk can be adjusted vertically and secured in adjusted position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is adapted to be secured to a suporting surface in such manner that it is not likely to be torn loose from the supporting surface durin its use. 4 A still furt er object is to provide a device of the character described which comrises relatively few parts, can be packed into relatively small space for the purpose of shipment or storage, and whlch is thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will be ap- 80 parent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanyin drawings, in which-- igure 1 1s a perspective view showing the combined seat and desk embodying the 1n- 85 vention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the device.

The supporting or frame structure of the device includes a air of bars, each of which is bent substantia ly into U-shape to provide a substantially straight intermediate portion 1, upstanding substantially parallel end portions 2 and 3 respectively and an outwardly bowed or substantially semi-circular portion 4 merging the end portion 3 and intermediate portion 1 one into the other. The end portions 2 are connected ad acent to their up r ends by a cross bar 5 and are connected adjacent to their lower ends or 'uncture with the intermediate portions 1 y a second cross bar 6. p

The cross bars 5 and 6 are stayed to each other by intermediately crossed diagonally extending bars 7 and 8 respectively, the latter being secured at their ends to the respective cross bars in position to brace the end portions 2 and also having the portions thereof that cross each other connected together, as at 9. i

The end portions 3 are connected together and braced in substantially the same manner as the end portions 2 by upper and lower cross bars 10 and 11 respectively, and intermediately crossed diagonally extending bars 12 and 13 respectively.

With the arrangement described, corresponding portions of the bars 2143 will be held in spaced arallel relation. The bars preferably are ormed of a material possessing considerable inherent resiliency, such as steel.

The connected together and braced end portions 2 provide a support for a desk indicated at 14. The desk 14 has the form of a box-like case including a substantially vertical front wall 15 and a top that includes a hinged lid section 16. The top also includes an upstanding flange 17 at its front edge, the flange being in substantially vertical alignment with the front wall 15. Two vertically disposed attaching strips 18 are secured to the desk 14 at the front thereof, the respective strips beinglocated adjacent to the opposite side edges of the desk front and preferably being disposed in recesses or cut outs in the front wall 15 so that the attaching strip will lie in the plane of thefront wall 15. Each attaching strip is formed with a forwardly extending substantially T-shaped guiding and retaining member 19 at its upper end and with a forwardly and downwardly turned hook portion 20 at its lower end.

Each of the end portions 2 is provided with a vertical guide slot 21 that extends from a point ad acent to the upper end of the end portion 2 for part of the length of the latter and in line with a vertical series of spaced apart openings 22 that extends in the remaining portion of each of the end portions 2. Each of the vertical guide slots 21 has a width slightly greater than that of the stem of each T-shaped guiding and retaining member 19 and less than the width of the head portion of the guiding and retaining member and each guide slot is enlarged laterally adjacent to its upper end as indicated-at 23 so that the head portion of one of the T-shaped guiding and retaining members may be projected therethrough to position the stem of the guiding and retaining member in slidlng contact with the walls of the guide slot Each of the openings 22 is adapted to receive the hook portion 20 at the lower end of one of the attaching strips 18. A

It will be manifest from the foregoing that the desk 14; will be attached to the end portions 2 of the supporting structure when the desk has been positioned above the intermediate portions 1 and the respective T- shaped guidingand retaining members 1.) have been inserted in the enlarged upper end portions of the guide slots 21 to posit-ion to slide in engagement with the latter. The desk thus may be moved vertically along the supporting members 2 and may be firmly, although releasably, secured to the supporting member 2 in any one of a plurality of vertically adjusted positions by placing the hook members 20 in engagement with predetermined corresponding openings 22.

In order to adjust the position of the desk vertically from a given osition, it only is necessary to move the esk slightly vertically until the hooks 20 can be moved out of engagement with o enings 20 with which they are engaged an the desk then is moved to adjusted position and the hooks again placed in engagement with other of the openings 20.

The front wall of the desk lies fiatwise against the bars of the desk support when the desk has been secured to the members 2 of the desk support in the manner described so that the desk will be firmly braced and normally held against movement relatively to the desk support.

The device also includes a seat 24 having a back 25 preferably formed integrally therewith. Two vertical attaching strips 26 are secured to the back 25 against the rear face thereof and adjacent to the side edges thereof. The attaching strips 26 are similar to the attaching strips 18 and each is provided at its upper end with a rearwardly extending T-shaped guiding and retaining member 27 and at its lower end with a rearwardly and downwardly extending hook 28. Each of the members 3 is formed with a vertical guide slot 29 enlarged laterally at its upper end, as at 30, and extending from a point adjacent to the upper end of the member 3 for part of the length of the latter.

Each guide slot 29 is in vertical alignment with a vertical series of spaced apart opentugs 31 in the lower portion of each mem- T-shaped guiding and retaining members assen 27 are adapted to be inserted in the enlarged upper end portions 30 of the guide slots in position to slide in engagement with the guide slots and the/hooks 28 are adapted to engage with the openings 31, whereby the seats 24 may be supported on the members 3 in vertically ad usted position. A head or supplementary back rest 32 may be carried by the seat support at the upper end of the latter and substantially in alignment with the back 25.

From the foregoing descri tion of the various parts of the device, t e operation thereof may be readily understood. The device is particularly well adapted for use in school rooms and both the desk and seat or either the desk or the seat may be adjusted vertically to satisfy varying re uirements, as for instance to adapt the evice for use at different times by pupils of different sizes. The intermediate portions 1 of the bars of the supporting structure are spaced from a floor 33 or like supporting surface by depending projections, as indicated at 34, whereby the device satisfies sanitary requirements since dirt, sweepings and the like will not lodge and accumulate underneath the supporting structure, the desks being readily movable on the supporting projections 34 to permit cleaning therebeneath. These portions 1 comprise what may be considered a base. Since the members 3 to which the seat backs are attached are merged into the base members 1 by outwardly bowed members made of a material possessing inherent resiliency, the seat will be resiliently supported on the base, thus materially adding to the comfort of the user and the members 4 may be termed spring members connecting the seat support with the base. However, the spring members 4: are suificiently stiff to prevent the seat from tilting back when the user leans against the back of the seat. I

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a supporting structure comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped members, each formed of a single length of material havmg inherent resiliency and each consisting of a substantially horizontal intermediate portion, substantially parallel upstanding end portions and an outwardly bowed curved spring portion'merging one of said end portions into said intermediate portion and cross members staying said U-shaped members to each other and vholding said members. in spaced parallel relation, said upstanding end portions being adapted for connection with articles which are to be supported thereby.

2. In a device of the character described, a supporting structure comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped members, each formed of a single length of material having inherent resiliency and each consisting of a substantially horizontal intermediate portion, upstanding end portions and an outwardly bowed curved spring portion merging one of said end portions into said intermediate portion, cross members staying said U-shaped, members to each other and holding said members in spaced parallel relation, said upstanding end portions being adapted for connection with articles which are to be supported, thereby, and spaced depending pro ections on the lower sides of said interm iite portions of the U-shaped members for supporting the latter on a floor in spaced'relation to the latter.

SIMON WILLIAM CONWELL. 

